


it's a little more fun when i'm with you

by unseeliekey



Series: fumbling around [1]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Enemies to Friends, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Minor Violence, Oma Kokichi Being Oma Kokichi, Texting, Trans Character, but theyre trans babey, stupid amounts of fluff, theyre both trans im just not tagging them individually bc its not super relevant to the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23208727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unseeliekey/pseuds/unseeliekey
Summary: "Shuichi invited the local delinquent to lunch," Kaito says, with the subtle tone of are you okay have you fucking lost your mind."Oh, good, it's about time." Kaede gives one of her perfect smiles, the kind that killed 12-year-old Shuichi on sight. Today, he smiles back, albeit awkwardly."What do you mean about time?" Kaito hisses, his voice becoming steadily higher pitched and strangled.Maki's mouth tightens into a thin line as she rearranges her pencils, perfectly neat. "It's rare that I like to openly agree with Kaito, but I can't help... being concerned. Ouma is abnormal.""Maki," Kaede scolds. "He's also Shuichi's boyfriend."Or, the one where Shuichi's friends all hate his boyfriend- and somehow, Kokichi manages to weasel his way into their hearts.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, background though
Series: fumbling around [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669879
Comments: 39
Kudos: 597





	it's a little more fun when i'm with you

**Author's Note:**

> There is a scene where a man harasses the protagonists. At one point he uses the f slur and at another, he makes a sexually implicit remark toward Maki. He is then beaten up, as he should be. If you'd like to skip this, skip from "Once, Shuichi got stuck in a conversation with Komaeda-senpai for about twenty minutes before their train arrived." to "open chat: atua is dead and maki killed him."  
> If you'd just like to skip the violence, stop at "He doesn't get to finish whatever awful remark he was going to make," and resume at ""What," Maki says, slowly stepping down from the store".  
> There is also some discussion of murder in the last three sections, but it's never too explicit. Just detective stuff.  
> \--  
> hey. this really got away from me. it kind of just started as a drabble about haha, shuichi's friends and their opinions on his rat bf, and then i got gay. and started thinking a lot about their characters and how they'd act in an ordinary setting and their relationships and goals and man. im real emo abt oumasai. and kokichi in general. and shuichi.

"I'm dating Ouma."

They're sitting on the track field in a late summer evening. Maki and Kaito seem in suitably good moods, whether from the endorphin rush or the goodnatured bickering. Shuichi thought it was as good a time as any.

Evidently not, from the horrified expressions on his friends' faces. Maki and Kaito stare with equal shock, like Shuichi had just informed them of his upcoming death. 

"You're what." Maki's voice is flat. Kaito, on the other hand, is almost warbling.

"Shuichi. Dude. Shuichi."

"That is my name, yes," Shuichi responds, fond if nervous. He plucks at the grass beneath him. 

"W- How. Why. When?"

"Last night," Shuichi says, softly. He can feel his face burning, the memories too fresh to feel confident in. Him and Ouma, curled up on the floor of his dorm, some badly-dubbed horror film playing in the background while they spoke, barely above the sounds of gore and frighteningly vulnerable. It's too much to say, that murmured honesty, the way their game of chase seemed to catch up to them all at once as Ouma made a casual remark that unraveled the mystery. The way they kissed, false bravado and cheap soda, and the feeling of Ouma's heart pressed to his- a nervous patter that he couldn't lie about, even if he tried. He hadn't.   
That's too much to say, though, so Shuichi, growing more flustered the longer his friends stare at him, says "he seduced me."

"Dear god." Maki closes her eyes as if in prayer.

"Bro." Kaito is staring at him with an intense judgement that Shuichi has only been subject to regarding his taste in music and men. "It's _Ouma_."

"He's cute," Shuichi splutters, as if it's explanation enough. "He's really short, and he's got that grin, and his hair..." He trails off, quickly realizing that none of this is getting through.

"We had biology earlier today," Kaito says slowly, "and when we were delivered the frog corpses he burst into tears and then ran around trying to rescue them. He stuffed multiple frog corpses down his shirt and then bolted out of class. Your hands have touched where frog corpses once were."

"I d-didn't touch under- my hands w-weren't- Kaito!" Shuichi hisses, shoving his friend. Kaito doesn't even laugh, still caught up in his apparently traumatic memory of the biology disaster. Maki is now staring upward like the stars hold the answers to Shuichi's standards in boys.

"I can't believe you went from having a crush on Kaede to _this_ ," she says, not even looking at him. The intense amounts of shame pouring from her are overwhelming.

Oh how Shuichi wishes Kaede were here. Her recitals have had her constantly busy, and she's been out of the country for the last month or so. He knows it's been hard on Maki particularly, with their weird unresolved tension and Kaito having to fill in for Maki's softer counterpart. Unlike his other friends, Kaede, despite being a bossy, judgey person, took the news elegantly. He'd called her the next morning and she'd picked up despite the difference in timezones, and congratulated him and teased him. She had not looked at him like he'd suddenly decided to switch from detective work to juggling.

"You had a crush on Kaito," he points out, weakly. Maki glares hard enough to strip paint, and he quickly stammers to resolve it. "I-I guess for your standards to improve, mine had to decrease?" Not that he actually thinks there's anything wrong with his standards. Kokichi Ouma is the most fascinating person Shuichi has ever met, and he always has fun with him. Well, now that they're over the roadbump of thinking that Ouma was going to kill him every time they spoke.

Kaito, angelically, ignores the jab and instead shakes his head, staring over the field. "You give every gay guy a bad name," he says disappointedly. "You see a guy who's shorter than you and you lose all common sense."

Shuichi huffs. Kaito is not entirely wrong, but that doesn't mean it's not unfair.

Maki snorts, her eyes gleaming wickedly. This is the equivalent to uproarious laughter, and Kaito clearly counts it as a win. "What was it like?" she asks, clarifying when Shuichi blinks at her. "Kissing him. Did he bite?"

Shuichi thinks back to it, almost brings a hand to touch his mouth before he catches himself. He'd never hear the end of it if he did. "Salty," he says, pulling up another handful of grass. "We were eating popcorn."

"Wow," she deadpans. "Salty. That must have been worth his compulsive lying and his trash dress sense."

Shuichi remembers the shirt he'd been wearing (a picture of a bowl of cereal with NEW HOT FLAVORS HERE above it in big neon print) and can't disagree. He finds it endearing, though. "It was nice. We just held each other for a while. He said..." Shuichi flicks through a file of things that are too private to share. _I trust you, Saihara, as much as I can. I'm always waiting for you to figure me out. I really do like you, Shumai._ "He said he wanted to do it again." Another pause. "I'm going to go to his dorm after this, I think."

"He's got you wrapped around his little finger!" Kaito exclaims. "Just you wait until he shows you his true colours, Shuichi."

\--

It's been a little over half a year since that conversation. The next year of school started, and they were given labs to train their talents, and roles in clubs, and new roommates. Kaede got back and was sticking around until the holidays, although she still had recitals almost every day. She and Maki started dating. There were festivals and excursions and drama in their class, and Shuichi and Kokichi kept dating and grew closer.  
And Shuichi's friends didn't seem particularly pleased by it.

It's not like they're evil, or possessive, or even overprotective. Kokichi is- abrasive. He doesn't know when to quit, sometimes. His personality is almost a natural foil to Kaito's, who hates lying and being tricked and thinking anything but the best of people. Maki hates pranks, and she doesn't like most jokes. Even Kaede's temper grows thin when she's being needled to play _everytime we touch_ for the sixth time in a row. It's not entirely Kokichi's fault, either; to a certain extent he can't help himself, and to be honest, it's part of what Shuichi likes about him. It's not his friends' fault that he decided his ideal boyfriend would be a brat who liked setting up elaborate storylines to elaborate mysteries. It's not Kokichi's fault that Shuichi's best friends are honest people by nature.

He just wishes his friends would get along. He knows he and Kokichi don't need to keep all the same friends, and that his friends don't need to like his boyfriend, it just... would be nice. Unfortunately, Ouma's personality is an acquired taste.

Speak of the devil and doth he roll over in your arms. Kokichi puts down his DS and props his elbows up on Shuichi's stomach, ignoring the grunt of pain. "I can hear your brain throbbing, Shumai. What's got you so distracted?"

Shuichi smiles, making no attempt to pretend he was watching his boyfriend play Mario Kart despite the constant commentary. "Just thinking about how crazy you are."

"Oh?" Kokichi likes being teased- likes it especially because Shuichi does it so infrequently. "What ever could you mean by that? I'm hurt, honestly."

He hums, folding his book over the back of the couch and winding his arms around his boyfriend. "Oh, nothing. Just that... you're a little neurotic."

The shift on Kokichi's face is immediate. He lifts his chin and scowls, eyes locked with Shuichi's in a way that would be chilling if he weren't very used to it. "Quit lying to me. You know I hate-"

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," Shuichi interrupts. "May I present item A of my evidence." He gestures at Kokichi's own face, and, when that doesn't seem to spark recognition, laughs and kisses his nose. "You're a liar who hates being lied to. It's all 'I love lying! None of you appreciate a good lie!' until someone cushions the truth around you."

Kokichi seems somewhat mollified, looking away haughtily. "It's because no one is as good at lying as me. I always catch them, so there's no point."

"I always catch you, too," Shuichi refutes, then pauses. "Eventually."

Kokichi laughs that high, mischievous snicker of his, pressing a finger to his cheek. "Eventually. Go on, mister detective, tell me more. One piece of evidence is not enough to prove my crime, surely."

"I have never in my life met someone who thinks the way you do," Shuichi replies, gesturing. "You're so performative."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kokichi almost purrs it, leaning forward again and putting his chin in Shuichi's hands. He keeps them there obediently, watches his boyfriend's nose wrinkle, clearly pleased.

He considers his next words. "Not usually. It bothers me sometimes, though."

"It's because Shuichi's so honest." Kokichi smiles, looking at him innocently. "So good and kind. He's not used to dealing with criminals."

"You're a petty thief at best, Ouma."

"So cruel! I take it all back. You are the harshest man I've ever known."

\--

_**open chat: atua is dead and maki killed him** _

**im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** just saw shuichi's boyfriend grab a whole actual bird with his real hands and pull it through the classroom window

 **1812 overture:** omg is it ok????

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** well its alive

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** but on the other hand ouma is touching it so probably not

 **shoeichi:** hes a disney princess

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** bro.........

 **1812 overture:** ................

 **i can and will stop you:** .................................

 **shoeichi:** you just dont understand him

\--

They're entering the lunch hall when the sound of D.I.C.E ripples through the air- laughter, chaos, shrieking. Shuichi is deliberately sitting across from his friends and facing away from the noise, trying not to watch Kaito's face twist in disgust as he watches the scene unfolding on the other side of the hall. Kaede had the wits to head out to one of the vending machines when she first heard the commotion. 

"What are they _doing?_ "

Shuichi pauses, chopsticks already halfway to his mouth, and finally glances over his shoulder. Kokichi is balancing on the shoulders of two of his lackeys, aiming with what looks like some kind of modified spoon/slingshot at a group of girls nearby. "Looks like they're throwing food at Nevermind."

"But why?"

Shuichi doesn't have a good answer for that. What he's got is somewhere between _they're bored_ and _they're crazy._ He's not sure why Kokichi is still allowed to sneak his followers into the school, especially after the incident with the principal's office. Doubly so considering that none of them even attend Hope's Peak. He supposes it's one of those Ultimate perks- the supreme leader needs his followers as much as Shuichi needs access to case files.

"Dude." Kaito aims an unimpressed look at him. "Shouldn't you go and stop him?"

"Nah," Shuichi replies. "That'll just encourage him." Kokichi likes attention, for better or worse, especially Shuichi's. He especially likes being told off by Shuichi. Making a fuss about this will only lead to more of it.

(What Shuichi will do, and what he always does, is wait. Until Kokichi does something really clever, a harmless prank that even the victim enjoys, but something with an element of class to it. Something with multiple layers, almost guerilla marketed by gossip that he directs as he pleases. Something done to be creative and mischievous and entertaining, not just to get everyone's eyes on him. And then Shuichi will compliment and scold him at the same time, and they'll get in an argument, and Shuichi will reveal how he pulled it off and Kokichi will lie, lie, lie, until it devolves into an almost-roleplay that would be humiliating if it were anyone else, and eventually, Kokichii will probably take off and Shuichi will chase him, and it'll end almost an hour later with Kokichi tackled to the floor or pinned against the wall and Shuichi, suddenly shy, admitting that he thought it was brilliant.)

(And after that, Kokichi is content and lazy for the next few weeks, like a cat tired of playing with its food. Almost pleasant. And if it was really clever, and Shuichi put up a really good chase, when he starts to get restless or rude again Shuichi can drop in an offhand comment about how clever his last prank was and Kokichi will go back to being smug and content, at least for a little while.)

Distracted, he shoves a piece of meat in his mouth and tries not to look over his shoulder again, not to make eye contact.

"I just mean," Kaito continues, oblivious to Shuichi's war with himself, "what's the point of dating him if you can't get him to stop being crazy?"

"Um." Shuichi pauses again, tilting his head. "That I like his company and think he's very attractive?"

Kaito mutters something about emo clown twinks, but when Kaede reemerges and spills a pile of snacks over the table, he drops it.

\--

The next day, Shuichi catches Kokichi at his locker, tugging on his neckerchief. Kokichi whirls around, looking ready to pick a fight, and that expression doesn't die down when he realizes who it is- rather, he only seems more excited, and more combative. "Shumai! Beloved! What do I owe the pleasure? Is this about that little trick I played on Miu? You know, with the octopus? Because I swear, I thought she'd be into that-"

Shuichi doesn't have time to even begin to dig into whether that's a lie or not. "Come have lunch with me," he says instead.

Kokichi's face shifts into that unguarded, neutral expression it always does when Shuichi surprises him. It's funny how a blank look on his face is the equivalent to Kaito's hair-pulling, jaw-dropping screeches. "What?"

"Come have lunch with me. And Kaito and Maki, and Kaede if she doesn't have rehearsal." He smiles, letting a little of his own apprehension bleed through. It's not hard, honestly; he's stupidly shy about... asking his boyfriend to come sit with him. 

Kokichi is quiet for so long that Shuichi is about to accept defeat and take it back, before he smirks. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, why not. You'll be paying for my lunch, of course?"

Shuichi snorts. "What, the three sodas you buy from the canteen?" Yet another reason why inviting Kokichi is a good idea- Shuichi can force some proper food down his throat.

Kokichi lifts his head and sniffs, crossing his arms. "Yes, actually."

"Deal."

"Good."

"Cool."

They stare at each other for a moment longer, and Shuichi's not sure what to say. Kokichi grins a little wider, slamming his locker shut, and pulls him down for a kiss. "See you at lunch." And then he's off, leaving the scent of slightly burnt grape and spray paint behind him, and the taste of sugar.

"See you," Shuichi echoes, feeling thoroughly wooed.

\--

"I invited Kokichi for lunch today," Shuichi informs his friends as he slips into his seat, casually shrugging off his jacket and paying them no mind.

At least, that's how he imagined it. What actually happens is that he mumbles something to the same effect, almost trips over his feet, and cringes under Maki's all-powerful stare.

Five minutes later, Kaede shows up and she's still staring. "What happened?" asks the pianist, taking her seat and giving her girlfriend a kiss.

"Shuichi invited the local delinquent to lunch," Kaito says, with the subtle tone of _are you okay have you fucking lost your mind._

"Oh, good, it's about time." Kaede gives one of her perfect smiles, the kind that killed 12-year-old Shuichi on sight. Today, he smiles back, albeit awkwardly.

"What do you mean about time?" Kaito hisses, his voice becoming steadily higher pitched and strangled.

Maki's mouth tightens into a thin line as she rearranges her pencils, perfectly neat. "It's rare that I like to openly agree with Kaito, but I can't help... being concerned. Ouma is abnormal."

"Maki," Kaede scolds. "He's also Shuichi's boyfriend."

She doesn't deny that he's abnormal, though. Shuichi resists the urge to bang his head against the desk. Instead, he says "look, it's just for today. He hasn't been eating great lately, and I want to make sure he's getting food somewhere." Not entirely a lie. He wonders what Kokichi would think of that.

Maki looks sympathetic, which is to say she instantly becomes consumed with staring at the floor. Kaito grumbles but doesn't hold any further argument. Kaede beams. 

When they head to their usual table at lunch, Kaito stares at it like he's waiting for Kokichi to pop out of it at any second and taze him. Shuichi resists the urge to groan and stomps over, firmly putting his box on the table. The others follow- Maki and Kaito across from him, Kaede politely at the head of the table, at Maki's side. Everything is horribly, horribly tense. Shuichi opens his lunch and starts eating, just to have something to do. No one speaks. The atmosphere is oppressive. It is so bad that Maki, sweet, gracious Maki, decides to attempt small talk about their last class, which is only starting to go somewhere when the man of the hour shows up.

Kokichi walks in like he belongs there, sweeps Shuichi's stuff aside to make room for the loose paper he's carrying (because he ruined all his folders last week and hasn't organized his schoolwork properly yet.) "Hey, sluts."

There is a moment where Shuichi considers aborting the mission and scolding Kokichi later, but blessed Kaede finally responds with a "hey, Ouma-kun," and Kaito mumbles with her. Maki remains stone-cold, staring.

"H-how was your day?" Shuichi stammers, as Kokichi cosies right up to his side, to the point of fully lifting his arm to snuggle under it.

He fake yawns, fluttering his eyes. "Boring. I've been looking forward to meeting Shuichi's friends all day. I thought it would be exciting."

"Well, h-here we are," Shuichi stammers. He slides over one of the cans of soda on the table, and tries to ignore Kokichi's calculatedly adorable gasp.

"Here you are indeed," he repeats, pulling the tab and slinging a leg over Shuichi's thighs. 

Kaede clears her throat. "Um, Ouma-kun, what did you think of art class today? Angie's really impressive, right?"

Kokichi glances over at Kaede and then shrugs, inspecting his fingernails. "She's nothing compared to me, of course. My skill with pencil will go down in history. Just look!" He gestures dramatically to the papers in front of him, head held high. 

The other three lean over to stare at the drawings- doodles of jewels and guns and monsters, with what looks like overwatch fanart in the corner. Kokichi is a pretty good artist when he applies himself, but these are... not applied. After a moment, Kaede laughs.

"I wasn't joking," says Kokichi, staring her dead in the eye. He sniffs. "Do you really think... they're that bad?"

"No!" Kaede's eyes widen. "No, oh my god, I'm so sorry-"

"Ouma," Shuichi says, before a tear can slip from those wet eyes.

"Nishishi." Kokichi grins, winding himself against the detective again. "A last name basis? You're so cold, Saihara-chan."

"You-" Kaito stares, then shakes his head. Next to him, Maki stabs a piece of meat with surprising ferocity and absolutely no table manners.

Kaede blinks a few times, then chuckles awkwardly. "Ah. Oh, I see. Um. Haha."

"How was physics, Kaito?" Shuichi tries, pushing around the rice in his lunch. He then remembers his secondary goal and picks up a bit of tempura- broccoli, coated in light, still-warm batter, and offers it out to his boyfriend, only idly listening to Kaito's response. Kokichi leans forward and bites it off the chopsticks, making a happy sound as he does so. Shuichi smiles fondly and picks up another piece, holding it out again. Kokichi takes that one, too, with a little hum, and Shuichi reaches up to run his fingers through the ends of that tufty hair.

It takes him a moment to realize that the sound of Kaito's voice has faded out, and he looks up to find all three of his friends making no effort to hide their staring. Shuichi flushes, setting his cutlery down and pushing the food over to Kokichi, who pouts. 

He was definitely aware of what he was doing, Shuichi thinks, as Kokichi makes a fuss of picking up the food by himself, slumping against his chest and whining. Oh god, how long were they watching him feed him for? He can't meet his friends' eyes. God, that was so sappy. That was so embarrassing.

"I can't believe you're going to make your leader eat like this," Kokichi whines, sinking back against him. "What's the point of having a manservant if they won't even feed you?"

"Shuichi is not your servant," Kaito says hotly, leaning over the table.

Kokichi snickers again, tapping the chopsticks against his cheek. "But he's so good at taking care of me!" Suddenly his cheerful demeanor drops, the childish smirk replaced with a cold smile, the chopsticks pointing out like knives. "You're awfully bold to speak to me like that, Kaito-chan. Do you really think you could change my mind about anything?"

Kaito leans back, sending a glance to Shuichi like he's being held hostage. One of his hands clenches into a fist.

Shuichi stares at Kokichi. Just over five feet, his hair all fluffy, his chin sinking into his neckerchief. He's leaning sideways in Shuichi's lap, like he can't stay solid. In front of him sits his schoolwork, all covered in doodles. He is not sure how the others are intimidated by this, even with the creepy smile.  
(Although he would be lying if he said there wasn't a time when Kokichi intimidated him, too. It's just so long ago that it feels like it didn't happen.)

He leans down and brushes a sesame seed off Kokichi's cheek. "Stop insulting Kaito," he says.

Kokichi pouts, sticking out his tongue. "Boo. You're no fun. I was going to have them thinking you were terribly abused."

"Oh joy," Shuichi sighs, watching the way his friends, even Kaede, stare like he's lost his mind.

\--

"Can you please try to be nice to my friends?"

Kokichi, shirtless and scrawny and imperious, looks up from his comic and raised an eyebrow, the picture of innocence. "Oh? Beloved Shuichi, you know I do my best to make an effort. It's just Kaito's rough behaviour is so draining on me..." His expression twists into something like a pout, as if he were close to tears.

"Lie." Shuichi points at his boyfriend, letting his bag drop from his shoulder as he stretches and pulls off his jacket, rolling back the sore muscles in his shoulders. He was unsurprised to find Kokichi in his dorm -not that he was complaining, but he was a little frustrated today. "And it wasn't Kaito. It was Maki."

"Ohhh, the Ultimate Assassin." Once again, Kokichi's face shifts. This time, something dark and foreboding, a mastermind supervillain. "I will never forgive her for her crimes, Shuichi. Surely you know that a killer like her can't be trusted-"

"She bullied some kids in middle school, Kokichi, she didn't _murder_ them." Dammit. Shuichi has to fight back the fond smile that wants to creep over his face. "Let he who has not bullied some kids in middle school cast the first stone, hm?"

Kokichi stretches out his legs, rolling over and hanging an arm off the side of Shuichi's bed. "I have never done anything of the sort," he sniffs.

"Lie, again." Shucking off his shoes, Shuichi pads over and sits down, rubbing between Kokichi's shoulderblades, the little red marks where he knows (from personal experience) binders sit too tight. "Come on, for me?" He feels the muscles relax beneath his palms and smiles, rubbing circles in with his thumbs. "You know I think you're funny, but Maki doesn't have... quite the same sense of humor."

"Bold of you to assume I'm joking," Kokichi mumbles, his face falling into the sheets. "Mm, higher."

"Of course, supreme leader," Shuichi hums, moving his hands up. 

Kokichi simply grunts in response. He's quiet for a while, simply melting into the bed, before he speaks up again. "This is blatant manipulation, you know."

"I'll give you a head massage if you're nice to Kaito tomorrow."

\--

_**open chat: atua is dead and maki killed him** _

**shoeichi:** guys kokichi has agreed to a peace treaty, pls be nice

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** no

 **shoeichi:** kai pls

 **1812 overture:** Kai!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cmon hes trying

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** he was NOT TRYING AT LUNCH TODAY

 **1812 overture:** ok tbf,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 **1812 overture:** i think hes legally insane so we have to give him a break

 **shoeichi:** kaede..... p l s

 **shoeichi:** (also he's not legally insane, thats a highly specific legal definition that would require him having neither control nor awareness of his actions and it would make me dating him super ethically questionable and he's only a bit crazy guys i promise)

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** wow what a glowing reccomendation

 **1812 overture:** *recommendation

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** fuck off

 **i can and will stop you:** _@shoeichi_ your boyfriend is literally the most unpleasant creature I have had the misfortune of meeting. You are the sort of person who makes me glad I'm not attracted to men. His personality is so fucked up and he looks like a rat.

 **1812 overture:** MAKI OMG

 **shoeichi:** guys :(((((( hes nice i promise 

**1812 overture:** well

 **1812 overture:** nice is kind of

 **1812 overture:** i wouldnt say "nice' exactly,,,,

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** bro just date me if your that desperate

 **1812 overture:** *you're

 **i can and will stop you:** Apparently, Shuichi is only interested in pathological liars and clowns. You only fulfill half that criteria.

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** ouch

 **shoeichi:** guys :(((((((((((((((((((((((((

 **1812 overture:** he's kind of a sexy clown though?? i get why shuichi's into him

 **i can and will stop you:** I'm breaking up with you.

\--

Part of the reason it's so awkward that Shuichi's friends seem to dislike his boyfriend is that Kokichi's friends LOVE him. Shuichi sets one foot into the lab and is immediately swamped by several excitable clowns.

"Saihara! I've got a riddle for you to solve!"

"Saihara-kun! Come play this new game with me!"

"Saihara! Are you here to start a new case? Do you need a getaway crew?"

"Saihara, did you see what we did to the principal's office?"

Shuichi smiles around at the group, ten rascals ranging from middle schoolers to his own age, with one girl at the back who's almost out of school, and lifts his hands apologetically. "Sorry, I'm just here to see your leader, actually." There's a chorus of disappointed sounds, and he's made multiple promises to hang out and play games later by the time he makes his way through the crowd and over to the info station.

Kokichi, for once, is not sitting on his throne, but is instead peering over a mess of papers. He glances up when Shuichi approaches, hair pulled back into a tufty ponytail that's almost too short to keep together. "Ah, detective. How can I help you today? Surely we haven't been causing you any trouble, mm?" Tendrils of hair frame his face. His eyes look dark in the odd blue light of the lab. His cravat is hanging low enough to expose the top of his neck.   
Shuichi wants to kiss him, more than he wants anything else in this moment. 

He doesn't, because D.I.C.E has reformed around them, abandoning their deceivingly childish projects to come and watch their leader make nice with the law. Shuichi knows they expect at least a bit of a show, at least from Kokichi, and he doesn't mind playing along. "Just that I've been given a new task by the school, actually. Does the _Kirigiri trophy for exceptional advancement_ ring any bells?" He pulls out a picture from his coat lapels and offers it to Kokichi, though he knows he doesn't need to. Kokichi takes it and makes a show of looking it over, even though he knows he doesn't need to.

"Can't say it does," he replies innocently, passing it back over and leaning his hip against his workbench. "Perhaps the school's fabricated another case for you, dear detective. They need to keep you busy, don't they?"

"It does help," Shuichi responds, the hint of a smile playing on his mouth. "Hypothetically, Ouma-kun, would your organization know of anyone who might have a particular interest in an item like this? I know your group has roots all through the criminal underbelly of this city."

A titter spreads through the watching D.I.C.E members. Kokichi's eyes gleam. "You flatter us, mister detective. But I can't think of any reason any criminal worth their salt would take interest in something like that. I mean, a school trophy? Everyone knows those are nothing more than cheap brass- silver plating, if you're lucky."

"That may be true," Shuichi agrees, and he would be a liar if he said he isn't enjoying himself, too, "if this weren't a Hope's Peak trophy, Ouma-kun. It's common knowledge that any Hope's Peak trophy is made of pure gold."

"Pure gold?" Kokichi gasps, clutching at his chest. "How ridiculous! How damageable! How wasteful! Is there anything Hope's Peak doesn't spend to excess on?"

"The plumbing," Shuichi says idly, and he watches Kokichi's cheek twitch as he tries not to laugh. He holds back a smirk. "I'm rather surprised you didn't know that, being a phantom thief like yourself. One would think with your level of skill that such an assessment would be easy...."

Kokichi gasps again, stepping backward. The air grows tense. Quick as a flash, he reaches up and pulls out his hair, striking a pose as soon as he does so. "Once again you have caught me, mister detective. And with my mask off, too! Whatever shall a thief like myself do now?"

Shuichi steps sideways, moves a few paces forward. "Return the trophy and your secrets remain hidden, Ouma-kun."

"Bold of you to threaten me in my own lair," Kokichi purrs, spreading his arms out. Immediately, D.I.C.E moves forward, flanking Shuichi with the expression of kids preparing for a candy scramble. "Do you truly think you can get away with such a bold claim?"

"I don't need to get away," Shuichi replies. "If I disappear, my colleagues know where to look." That is, Kirigiri-senpai will not be as friendly as Shuichi if he doesn't fix this before she hears of it.

Kokichi cocks his head to the side, clearly considering it. He presses a finger to his mouth, and the gesture is so cute that Shuichi's act almost falls apart. "You've really backed me into a corner here, detective." He takes a moment longer to consider it, and Shuichi lets him. "Alright! Let's make a deal, then."

"You tell me where it is and I cover up your involvement?" Shuichi guesses. He's calculated that as long as it's returned, the school won't question him too much, and he's already destroyed most of the evidence he found as soon as he figured out what happened. He doesn't _think_ anyone's been expelled from Hope's Peak before, but he really doesn't want to test it.

"And?" Kokichi looks at him expectantly. "Surely you can offer me more than that. It is such a valuable artifact, after all."

"Didn't you just say that I had you cornered?" Shuichi asks. One indignant look from Kokichi has him fighting back a chuckle, and he steps forward again. "Well then, my brilliant phantom thief..." This sort of showmanship is where he loses his nerve. He can feel D.I.C.E watching him, is already embarrassed about what he's going to do, but he really needs Kokichi to comply with him here. So he bites back his anxiety and tilts the thief's head up in his hand, smiling down at his boyfriend. "May I offer you a kiss?"

Kokichi stares at him, and Shuichi can feel his ears growing red. This is incredibly embarrassing. He's so lucky Kaito isn't here or he'd never shut up about it. But Kokichi's face is growing sly and satisfied, and his arms are winding up around his neck, and his breath smells like sherbet. "You have some nerve, Shuichi."

And then they're kissing, and it's wonderful and stupidly dramatic and fun, and Shuichi starts smiling partway through and then Kokichi starts to giggle, and they end up just leaning against each other, grinning. Kokichi waves his lackeys off with a fond mutter, and kisses Shuichi again, and then they keep looking at each other for a long time.

"You will have to return that trophy, though," Shuichi says after a moment, trying to sound sterner than he is. He can hear Kokichi's friends laughing in the background, and a blush spreads across his face, but it's all worth it.

\--

Once, Shuichi got stuck in a conversation with Komaeda-senpai for about twenty minutes before their train arrived. It was an experience. One that he's not entirely sure he'd like to repeat- if the upperclassman's philosophy was fascinating, or if the odd hero-worship from someone older than him was too unnerving to deal with.   
The point is that, ever since that day, Shuichi can't help thinking about luck cycles. He's not entirely sure how they're meant to work- the conversation was confusing and cut off mid explanation- or even that he believes in them, or in luck as a corporeal concept, at all. He does know the stories about Komaeda's luck, though. Everyone does. 

So when the vending machine dispenses three drinks at once when he only orders one, he can't help but think _I wonder what's going to go wrong in exchange._

He gets his answer not five minutes later, when he steps outside and sees his friends being harassed.

People get like this sometimes, with students from Hope's Peak. They see them in the media doing something they disagree with, or they're jealous of the, frankly ridiculous, privileges they're given, or they just don't like the way they look. There's a pseudo fame that comes with the school, and it's nasty. 

"Pussy ass bitch," the guy spits- he looks mid-thirties, at least. Way too old to be harassing high schoolers. "You're a dirty thief."

Kokichi sighs heavily, leaning against the wall of the convenience store. He looks regal, ethereal with his violet eyes and soft cheeks and the smoke of his strawberry-papered cigarette curling around him. Far too important to be dealing with this. "Shumai," he calls out, and Shuichi lets some of the tension drip away, crosses over to his boyfriend and wraps an arm around him protectively. Mostly to keep himself from doing something rash, like hitting the guy. "I'm already bored of this. Let's go somewhere else."

"What, you fucking scared?" The man's lip curls. "Faggots."

Next to them, Kaede shifts nervously. Kaito is doing a good job of ignoring it- better than he usually does, and Shuichi is proud of him for not yelling. Maybe Kokichi's presence has given him a higher tolerance for annoyance? Maybe. The slur makes his fists clench, though, and Shuichi shoots him a warning look. Kaito can't go getting in fights again. His future's more important than some asshole with an inferiority complex.

"Oh my god," Kokichi leans back into Shuichi's arms, pretending to swoon. "I can't take it, Shuichi darling. It's too boring."

"We've got to wait for Maki," Kaede insists, turning the edge of her skirt in her hands. She, too, is barely hiding her anger- she's not one to sit and be harassed, but she looks at Kokichi with sharp eyes. "We're not leaving without her."

Not that Maki can't take care of herself, Shuichi thinks wryly, but even the ultimate assassin has a delicate reputation. She's intending to work for the future foundation, putting her skills to as good a use as she can. Really, none of them can do anything but try to de-escalate the situation.

"Scared to leave her alone?" The man asks, spitting when he speaks. Shuichi takes a moment to analyze him. Almost definitely drunk, although it's half past four on a sunny Thursday. Balding. Unmarried, broken nose. In decent shape. Probably recently lost his job, judging by the faded work clothes that don't seem to have been washed for a few days. Potential to turn violent. "Wonder what an ultimate is like i-"

He doesn't get to finish whatever awful remark he was going to make, because just as Kaito and Kaede open their mouths to yell at him, Shuichi lifts his arms to try and pull them back, and Kokichi slips out from his hug and kicks the guy in the balls. 

"YOU FUCKER!" He shouts, stumbling back and immediately retaliating with a nasty left hook. Shuichi rushes over and tries to pull Kokichi back, but he can't prevent the fist from colliding with those holy cheekbones. Kokichi falls back against Shuichi, then quickly regains his balance and darts forward again. He smashes the base of his palm into the guy's nose and is met with a hand in his dark hair, fingers digging in and yanking. He lets out a small sound of surprise, a grunt, and tries to kick forward as the man's other hand fixes on his arm.  
Kaede is screaming, both at the man to fuck off and at Kokichi to run away, Shuichi darts forward to try and pull his arm back, and as soon as Shuichi's involved, Kaito runs forward too and starts kicking his shins. The whole time, Kokichi is yelling at him to "fuck off, fuck off, never say something like that you fucking bastard _how dare you even think that about her-_ "

Shuichi yanks the man's arm off his boyfriend and tries to hold it back, but he's only swung forward with it as the man punches his boyfriend's shoulder, Shuichi pulling it down from his face and screaming apologies. Kaito's thrown back, and Kokichi is lifted from the ground by his hair, looking tiny and helpless and still biting and kicking and yelling profanities-  
Something hits the man- Shuichi sees something fly through the air, but his attention is swiftly taken up by the fact that Kokichi's being dropped. He darts forward and manages to catch him, if you call catching someone using your own body to cushion the fall. "Are you okay?" he gasps, hands in Kokichi's hair, stroking over his scalp, over his cheek, over his collarbone. 

"I'm good, I'm good," Kokichi wheezes, giving him a bloody smile and reaching up to catch Shuichi's wrists. For a moment they just hold each other, and only when Shuichi feels ready, feels that Kokichi is safe, does he look up.

Maki stands in the doorframe of the store, an anxious cashier hovering behind her. She has murder written all over her face, one hand weighed down by a plastic bag of junk food, the other still raised and ready to throw.  
Shuichi looks back at the man and sees him laying out cold on the group, a two liter bottle of panta laying next to him, split at the base from the impact it must have made with his face. Purple liquid fizzes over the ground. Not for the first time, Shuichi is utterly terrified of his friend. 

"What," Maki says, slowly stepping down from the store, "the fuck happened." She moves over to her girlfriend quickly but no less threateningly, brushing a hand through Kaede's hair and checking her for injury.

No one says anything for a long moment, almost ashamed.

"He was fucking with us," Kaito says after a moment. "Just nasty shit, you know, getting up in our faces, but then he- I guess he was implying he was gonna hurt you. And Kokichi-" he cuts off in a muffled sound, one hand clutching his stomach like a bruise is forming there. Kaito laughs, a bit wheezy and out of place, staggering back against a wall. "Kokichi fucking flew forward like a terrier or something, it was terrifying. He just-" He pauses to make a gesture, one hand sliding forward at speed. "Nyoom." And then he's laughing again, still clutching his stomach.

Kokichi joins in, and, after a moment, so does Shuichi, holding him tight. "God, you scared me," he mutters, snickering despite himself. "I thought he was going to kill you."

"He probably would have if Maki hadn't stopped him," Kaede says, a note of lecture to her tone. She gives Maki a kiss on the cheek, and then walks over, bopping Kokichi on the head. "You fool. Don't do things like that! He was twice your size and clearly stronger!"

"Owwwww," Kokichi whines, clutching his head. Shuichi nuzzles into it, pulling him closer. "How could Akamatsu-chan bully me like that, after I've been so beaten and injured? I can feel the blood spurting from her terrible attack!"

"Idiot," Maki says, almost fondly. She inspects Kaito's form for a moment, and after deciding he's okay, moves over to Kokichi and gives Shuichi a look. Reluctantly, he releases the gremlin, and she tilts his chin up gently. "Nasty hit," she says. "You'll have to wear something on that eye for a while. You're lucky it mostly got your cheek."

"I think he pulled out some of my hair," Kokichi mumbles, wincing as he reaches up to touch his head. "Shuichi, am I still beautiful?"

Shuchi smiles at him, half fond and half exasperated, and kisses his forehead. "Of course you are," he says.

And as they all clean themselves up, and drag the man to an alley and make the cashier promise not to say anything, Kokichi's jokes earn a little more laughter than awkward stares. They open another bottle of panta, and a bag of chips, and snack as they walk back to school, and Maki rolls her eyes when Kokichi repeats his daring exploits for her, rather than glaring. And as they head back to their dorms and decide to all hang out together until dinner, Kokichi included, Shuichi can't help but wonder if maybe his luck has cycled around again.

\--

_**open chat: atua is dead and maki killed him** _

**i can and i will** has added **thief of hearts** to the chat!

 **i can and i will:** RULES:  
1: No PDA  
2: Be less of a dick  
3\. Don't spam  
4\. This is a fragile civility and I will block and drop you at a moment's notice.

 **i can and i will:** _@thief of hearts_ Welcome, I guess.

 **thief of hearts** : 0.0

 **i can and i will:** ...

 **i can and I will:** RULES:  
1: No PDA  
2: Be less of a dick  
3\. Don't spam  
4\. This is a fragile civility and I will block and drop you at a moment's notice.  
5: No obnoxious memes.

 **thief of hearts:** i mean no harm!!!!

 **thief of hearts:** i am truly honored, harumaki-chan!! 

**i can and i will:** ...good.

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** well theres no going back now i guess

 **1812 overture:** hi!!!!!!!!! welcome ouma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 **thief of hearts:** heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~!

 **i can and i will:** a thin line.

 **1812 overture:** oh shush!

 **1812 overture:** kokichi it's great to have you here! i know i said it before, but i really am touched by what you did.

 **1812 overture:** how are those bruises holding up?

 **thief of hearts:** please, that was nothing for a leader of evil like myself

 **thief of hearts:** my super-human healing ability has already kicked in!

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** _@shoeichi_ come and get your man

 **shoeichi:** !!!!!!

 **shoeichi:** hey, phantom thief

 **thief of hearts:** hey, mister detective :3

 **i can and i will:** AHEM

 **i can and i will:** RULES:  
1: No PDA

 **shoeichi:** that was barely pda!!!!

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** ~~honestly not as bad as you and kaede sometimes~~

 **thief of hearts:** gasp!! does this mean i have the elusive kaitos blessing???

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** you have my tolerance 

**thief of hearts:** ill take it!

 **shoeichi:** guys im emo i love you guys

 **1812 overture:** i love you too!!!

 **im gonna fuck the moon and you cant stop me, maki:** <3 <3 ur my best bro ilu

 **i can and i will:** ....shuichi gets pda rights only platonically

 **1812 overture:** shuichi gets little a pda, as a treat

 **shoeichi:** ah you fool, it had a double meaning. i was addressing both you, my friends (who i love and adore with my whole heart more than anything) and my boyfriend (who gets platonic love too because he's also a friend i love and adore with my whole heart more than anything BUT he also gets romantic love bc hes cute)

 **i can and i will:** fuck

 **thief of hearts:** nishishi

\--

"Saihara-san?"

Shuichi almost spills his coffee on himself. No matter how many times they speak, he doesn't think he's ever going to stop being intimidated by Kyoko Kirigiri. "Ah, hey," he replies, and then, after remembering himself, quickly bobs his head. "Kirigiri-senpai."

Her stern mouth quirks in a smile as she sits across from him, folding her gloved hands neatly over the table. "I heard about your last case. Those stolen antique photographs? I can't believe it was the same guy every time. I had a crack at it back in your year too, I just got... swamped. Congratulations."

She's completely sincere, but Shuichi has a hard time ignoring the fact that Kirigiri probably never solved it because she was taking on two separate homicides when she was his age. He ducks his head and swallows. "Ah, it wasn't really a big deal. It's kind of cheating, hah, since I have... Ouma and all." For all Kokichi's jokes about his detective boyfriend letting him get away with his many crimes, his fingers in the pie of chaos are a huge help. Particularly because DICE have no problem ratting out other thieves they think are 'uncool'. In this particular case, all Shuichi had needed was an offhand comment about this upperclassman who had a sideroom off from his bedroom, and he'd managed to make a leap from there.

"Mm." Kirigiri's mouth quirks into a small smile, which is surprising. When she'd first heard about his relationship, Shuichi had been faced with a stern lecture about cavorting with criminals. After that, she'd seemed to decide that Shuichi could take care of himself, and elected to ignore it, which he appreciated. "How are you too doing, by the way? I heard he got in a fight, recently."

"Oh." Shuichi turns his cup in his hands. A waitress moves over and asks Kirigiri if she'd like to order anything. He waits until she's picked out a blackberry tea and a muffin for each of them, and thanks her awkwardly and thoroughly, before he continues. "Yeah, some guy was messing with them, and then he said something awful about Maki, too and Kokichi just kind of jumped in." His mouth quirks up. "He was kind of getting the shi- stuffing beat out of him, but then Maki saved him." He pauses, and then decides to add, "we all thought it was brave of him."

"But stupid," Kirigiri adds, raising an eyebrow. "From what I heard, he was lucky he didn't get seriously hurt."

Shuichi's not entirely sure how to respond to that, partially because it makes guilt bloom in his stomach. "Ko- Ouma's loyal. It was probably hard for him to hear someone he considered a friend getting threatened."

"Hm." She leans her elbows on the table and presses her hands to her mouth. Kirigiri is so elegant. She gives the impression of someone who thinks through every single thing they say before even speaking. It's a trait Shuichi envies. "Tell him I hope he heals well."

"O-Okay," Shuichi stammers, nodding quickly. He's always so nervous around her. Kaede used to tease him about having a crush on her, when they were younger, but the truth is that Shuichi was too nervous to even foster feelings like that. It's uncomfortable hero-worship- something that would have made it awkward to even consider feelings like that. He thinks he acts more normal now, after months and months and months of them meeting in this cafe and chatting about cases, and her offering gentle advice about their choice of profession and Hope's Peak in general, but that idolization is still there, just a little bit. "Um, how was the arson case?" He tries to phrase it as gently as possible, watching her expression with the least analytical gaze he can manage.

Her expression twists, just a little, and her fingers twitch. "It wasn't anything too major, actually. I used the timeline of the two events to dial into a possible area, and then I looked through the database for people who matched the psychological profile. He wasn't happy when he was taken in, but it's not like I did much there. Just confirmation, really." She says it lightly, brushing back a lock of hair and leaning her chin in her palms. "I did most of the work from my lab." He takes this as the answer she likely intended it to be- _I didn't have to see any fire._ Shuichi doesn't press further, and she doesn't add more, but she gives him a look that is as reassuring as it is neutral. If he weren't watching her so closely, he wouldn't notice her eyes soften, but she must have known that he would. That he would worry about her. "Criminals really aren't as clever as most people give them credit for," she murmurs. "We might not have caught him if he hadn't reoffended, but he couldn't help himself."

Shuichi nods. Most police work- police detective work, that is, is fairly straightforward. It's a matter of narrowing down suspects, of looking at times and places, of basing it off previous statistics and cases. The most trouble you'll get into is other precincts refusing to work with you. That's part of why he's considering working on his own, even if he knows he'll mostly be dealing with infidelity cases and stolen goods. Ideally, Shuichi wants to work with kidnapping. Or cold cases. They're important to him, and they're hard to solve. Is it immoral of him to value the difficulty of a case as much as he values its importance? He thinks so- he thinks that the morbid obsessions that creep in aren't right. But they keep him working, and they keep him helping people. "You work really hard, Kirigiri-senpai." 

She smiles, a slow, private thing, behind her gloved hands. The waitress passes by again, setting down two warm muffins and a cup of tea. "Only as hard as any other ultimate does." She reaches for the sugar bowl and stirs in half a teaspoon, tapping it gently against the rim. 

The conversation moves on to more casual topics- their classes, the cultural festival, gossip in their respective years. When they finish their food and stand up to leave, Kirigiri reaches into her bag, and then offers out a folder. "Here," she says, looking at him almost proudly. "I thought you might want something a little more substantial to sink your teeth into."

He opens it, then stops at the big CONFIDENTIAL printed over the first sheet. Glancing up, he sees Kirigiri wave him on, so, after checking that nobody is watching, he flicks through the pages.

It's a case. A murder case, one he's quite familiar with. It's from about ten years back, the children of a family killed in their own home and the mother missing. He's spent a lot of time thinking about this one, from the potential suspects to the missing murder weapon to the locked room mystery of it- and here is more information than he's ever had, official information, a chance to solve something that's been left untouched for a decade. He looks up at Kirigiri, and he doesn't know what to say.

"I have a little too much work on my plate at the moment," she says, still watching him with that faint pride. "And it's a puzzle, that one. I knew that if I started thinking about it, I wouldn't stop, but I have more urgent cases to attend to. So I asked my advisor if I could pass it over to you. There's no time limit with that one, and no pressure to solve it, especially with the lack of evidence. However, I have faith that if anyone can, it's you."

"Kirigiri-senpai..." He flicks to the back, stares at a list of contacts and addresses. "Thank you. I'll- I'll report to my advisor as soon as I'm back at school. I won't let you down." He won't let the children tucked into these files down, either. He knows he can do it.

"Just don't lose sleep over it," she says gently, swinging her satchel over her shoulder.

\--

Kokichi's in Shuichi's dorm again, because he's bored and restless, and he knows that his detective is off with the other detective senpai. Being in a different room doesn't make him less bored, but it's fun imagining Shuichi's reaction when he gets home and finds out that Kokichi's picked his way in again. The shock has worn off long ago, but the moment of surprise where Shuichi stands in the doorframe and blinks is still just as good. Kokichi keeps an ear out for the familiar shuffling footsteps- today he's planning to switch to a sexy pose before Shuichi gets in. Roll onto his side, lift up a leg, point his toes, hand in his hair- hey there, mister detective.

The new footsteps throw him off, though- fast, heavy, like the owner is goosestepping down the hall, and Kokichi barely has time to set his game down before the door of the room is thrown open and he's being kissed senseless, pressed back into the bed. 

"Hey there," he says, when Shuichi pulls back and beams, because it's better than letting him see how flustered that got him. "You're full of surprises, lately, Shumai. What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I got a case," Shuichi says, gesturing wildly with a folder in his left hand. He's a bit breathless. "From Kirigiri. A cold case- the locked room killer."

Kokichi, who is not a nerd with a weird fascination with true crime, has no idea what that is, but he smiles anyway. "Ohh, a locked room puzzle? Looks like you got yourself a real mystery, huh?"

"Yes, it's such an interesting mystery, and- Kokichi, there are so many more details in here. Things that weren't released to the public. There's a whole interrogation report with one of the major suspects here that never ended up going to court!"

Shuichi is so excited, setting the file down to gesture with both hands, spewing facts rapid-fire, talking too fast to keep smiling. His eyes are bright, though, golden and shiny and bright in the light. Kokichi loves him, he does, wants to hold this expression against his heart forever. 

He reaches up, mid-explanation of a particular aspect of the case, and takes Shuichi's jaw in his hand and guides him down into a kiss. This, too, he wants to keep forever, the way Shuichi just stops and adapts so quickly, like he's just as happy to be kissing Kokichi as he is to be talking about his case. Like Kokichi is just as interesting. He kisses a little fiercer, with that thought, leaning up onto his knees and curling his fingers. He'd pull Shuichi right into him if he could. He wants his attention forever.

He doesn't say that, though, because it's gross and creepy and sappy and intense and he doesn't know which is worse, his slightly obsessive love or the vulnerability of it. Haha, ew. Love. Save it for after high school, at least. If they get there.

"You were forgetting to breathe," he says, instead of any of that. "Come sit down, detective."

Shuichi does, shuffling over so that they're both sitting on the too-small couch. Immediately, he pulls Kokichi into his lap, folds him up like origami, takes his hands in his own. "You're all restless today," he says, instead of talking more about his case, because he's considerate like that.

Kokichi shrugs. "No more than usual." A bit more than usual, maybe, but it's no big deal. He'll take a smoking break in a bit, burn out a bit of that excess energy, slow his mind from a mile a minute to a... kilometer a minute. Is that more or less than a mile? He's not sure. His shirt feels too tight, skin all sticky. "C'mon, tell me more about your case. You're really working for the law now, huh? Is it perjury every time I lie to you?"

Shuichi laughs, and lifts one of his hands to press kisses along the knuckles. "As if that would stop you," he says, so achingly fond that it almost hurts. Huh. Funny how all the good feelings Shuichi gives him can stack up in his stomach, pressing on top of each other until they can't fit, until they hurt for the weight of them all. "Kirigiri said she's got too much on her plate, and she thought it was time for me to start... taking actual cases. She thinks I can solve it, if it's solvable. It might not be. I mean, I might be able to solve it but not prove it, or just get a really good hunch, or there won't be enough relevant evidence, or I might solve it but the police decide it's not worth pursuing-" He cuts himself off and takes a breath. "Sorry, you're probably too buzzy for my rambling."

"Buzzy? Who's buzzy?" Kokichi leans forward, lifting their hands together and shifting so that he's straddling Shuichi, leaning down to him. "I'd be a pretty terrible boyfriend if I couldn't listen to you talk about your first proper case, huh?" He grins, tilting his head to the side. "Shumai's rambling is cute. Especially when he talks about dead bodies for hours!"

Pink dusts Shuichi's cheeks. He is cute. "Kokichi," he sighs, smiling even as he mimics him, tilting his head the same way. "Let's go exploring tonight."

"Exploring?" He squeezes Shuichi's hands. "You want to help me find a way onto the roof again? I know they closed it off, but I'll be dammed if I can't figure out how to get back up."

"Sure," Shuichi says. "As long as we're careful." He means 'you're careful'. Shuichi is always careful. 

"Tell me more," Kokichi says again, because he knows that Shuichi gets a bit weird about his talent. Insecurity, part of it, and another part probably being that child murder and mystery aren't light conversation topics. He's lucky that Kokichi doesn't do normal conversation, anyway.

And Shuichi launches into an explanation that is probably too confidential for Kokichi, but it's not as if he's going to do anything with the information. He runs down the mystery, the new information he read on the way back, and his previous theories. Kokichi offers a few opinions, some of them jokes, and Shuichi laughs and still carefully considers his more serious ones. It's a good distraction, talking about mysteries with each other, potential getaways out of that locked house and possible weapons for those deep wounds. The missing mother obviously did it, but that just launches into a discussion of how to find her if so, or at the very least prove it. And then again the father has never cleared his name and the neighbour who hasn't moved is still mighty suspicious...

At least an hour passes during this conversation, and Kokichi feels the urge to do something stupid slowly melt out of his body, like someone steeping tea. Shuichi has a calming presence, sure, but it's more than that. It's the way he engages him, easy and fascinating, like a really good book that throws you into the action immediately. Their banter comes easily, Kokichi never has to think too hard about swapping in his faces or modulating his voice- it comes naturally, and the lies he tells he doesn't have to worry about being interpreted cruelly. Shuichi is fascinating, toe for toe, assertive and soft in all the right places. 

Kokichi loves him, loves him, can'twon't say it but does, so much it burns like lemonade on a toothache. 

\--

"Hey, guys." Shuichi slips along the bench until he's pressed to Kokichi's side, winds an arm around his waist and presses a kiss to his hair. "Sorry I'm late," he says sincerely. "I had to hand in some progress to my advisor before coming."

"Mm, I'll never forgive you," Kokichi hums, dropping the straw from his mouth and wiggling closer. "How's that case coming, mister detective?"

"No flirting," Maki says, across the table and armed with a steak knife despite the soup she's drinking. She points it at Kokichi, and he sticks his tongue out at her. "No 'mister detective' at the table."

"Yes, mom," he sighs, glancing up to Shuichi and mouthing 'crazy', making eyes to go along with it. That earns him a laugh from the others, and he grins, glancing back to watch Kaede pet her sulking girlfriend's hair.

"It's going really well," Shuichi says, a little flushed in that happy way he gets sometimes, pushing his lunch in front of Kokichi and pulling out a second pair of chopsticks. Kokichi would make a joke about being fattened up, but he knows Shuichi worries, and really, who is he to turn down homemade bentos? "We've made some excellent progress. I've just requested a warrant to look at the house, and if I get it, I'll be heading up next weekend to confirm some things." He glances down at Kokichi, mid-mouthful of rice, and he smiles. "Want to come with me?"

Kokichi swallows and raises an eyebrow. "Is that allowed?"

"Well, you probably can't come to the actual house, but we could get a BnB together and do some sightseeing? There's quite a large shrine nearby, and I know you like walking by them-"

"Not so loud," he hisses. "You'll reveal all my secrets!"

"What, that you like walking by shrines?" Kaede asks.

"That I like things at all! I'm a leader of evil, you know."

There's another chorus of laughter as Kaito returns to the table, tossing a bag of sour candy over to Kokichi as he sits down. "There's your gummies, you gremlin." He shakes his head, opening up a bag of cheese-dusted corn chips and munching into them. "Just looking at them gave me cancer, I think. Nothing that shade of green can be good for you."

"Oh, these aren't for me," Kokichi says, even as he opens the bag. "These are poisons, for my enemies. Like-" And he reaches up and shoves one in Shuichi's mouth, before he can get his slice of pork in.

Shuichi splutters, spitting it across the table. "Ggh! Sour!"

Kokichi pops one in his mouth with a cheshire grin. "Yummy."

Kaede watches him with distaste. "You're burning your tastebuds, Kokichi."

"Just don't strip your tongue again," Shuichi sighs. "Last time you did that it was a miserable experience for everyone involved."

"Yeah," Kaito pipes up. "Particularly Shuichi, who had the only case of blue balls about kissing I've ever seen."

"Kaito!" Shuichi hisses, as Maki snorts and Kaede giggles and Kokichi snickers despite the sour burn on his tongue. The snickering leads him to accidentally swallow the ball of sour goodness, and he makes an odd hiccupping sound as he chokes. Shuichi, quick to action, slaps his back until he coughs it up again, and all five of them watch in silence as it bounces off the table and across the floor of the dining hall, leaving a sticky green trail of saliva behind it. 

Kokichi gurgles, patting himself on the throat.

"I cannot believe I'm friends with you," Maki sighs.

He grins at her, and feels Shuichi press a kiss to the top of his head, and he can't quite believe it, either.

**Author's Note:**

> hi the first scene in this is kinda insp by some fanart i saw while i was half way through this story!! anyway its:  
> https://wiihtigo.tumblr.com/post/171608418816/shuichi-reveals-to-his-best-friends-his-bad-taste  
> sorry op if u dont like dr anymore i kind of liked all ur posts W H OO PS  
> big f to me for getting into a fandom 3 years late :(  
> \--  
> anyway i dont have any real plans to continue this but i may add a second chapter/sequel at some point? im.....real soft for these boys...................


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